Translating flat design drawings into how a final development project will feel, inside and out, is often challenging for clients. As a design professional I often search for similar size structures to help convey the size, mass, and scale of the finished project. When friends asked about the size of the proposed parking structure at the village entrance, I crunched some numbers and looked for something similar.

Here’s what I came up with: The village entrance parking structure would cover an area of about: 47,000 square feet x 36 feet tall = 1.7 million cubic feet. An average Walmart is 75,000 square feet x 22 feet tall = 1.7 million cubic feet.

So, the parking structure would be about the same size volume as a Walmart, only 14 feet taller. Just imagine taking the back third of a Walmart off, place it on top, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of the mass and scale of what is being proposed.

If anyone is interested, City Council is asking for public input for improving the Village Entrance. First workshop is Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers.